Darkest Nights
by ChibiLover123
Summary: Jasmine Holmes has always held out hope that Gotham would be saved from itself, whether by her hands or someone else's. When a mysterious vigilante shows up to do just that, things start to get a little crazy... Bruce/OC Reworking of Batwoman's Flight
1. Part 1: Chapter 1

Sunlight slanted through the window, faded gray from the perpetual fog that clogged Gotham's streets, painting the room in watery colors.

Cloth creaked as a hammock swayed overhead, a nest of blankets and downy pillows, over the tiny twin-sized bed below, mostly buried under mounds of rainbow comforter.

Sprawled on the soft starburst sheets, brown curls flashing red in the meager light, bright green eyes blinked sleepily open as one of the stronger rays pierced her eyelids.

With a tired hum, the tiny woman rolled away, fingers sinking into warm fur as a purring body pressed closer, leafy ears twitching lazily.

A morning song drifted down from the nest, a sleek white head peering down from the nest with dark eyes, and the brunette smiled back.

Maybe she could just sleep in-

The door slammed open, ricocheting off the wall to leave another mark in the tie-dye paint, as a tiny body hurled itself across the room to jump right onto her lungs.

"Auntie Jazz! Auntie Jazz!"

With a wheeze, she rolled once more to remove the bouncing child from her- _likely bruised_ -vital organs as three more tiny bodies scrambled up to join them.

"Mornin', Lily." She slurred, patting at the riotous brown curls as her niece giggled, big dark eyes glittering gold in the dawn.

"Teddy is making breakfast, Auntie Jazz! You've gotta get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up…"

Reaching out blindly, she patted the Eevee and snowy-white Vulpix that pushed at her back, eyeing the Torchic that hopped onto her hip with a loud chirp.

"Why don't you go get some while I get dressed, huh?"

The little girl lit up- _Teddy must be making pancakes_ -before nodding enthusiastically and taking off, her little trio scrambling to follow.

In the silence that followed, Jazz let out a deep breath into the pillows, sharing a commiserating look with the Leafeon sprawled next to her.

 _Kids_.

Toppling out of bed onto her feet, straightening out the over-sized "Gotta Catch 'Em All" t-shirt over her Fairy Tail-print panties, she crossed to the closet.

"What color should I do today, Dawn?"

Yawning, the Grass-type shrugged, dropping to the bright pink carpet and padding over indifferently.

"Well, _you're_ no help. Marshy?"

Popping up over the edge of her nest, the Togekiss twittered, wings flapping.

"You _always_ choose red." Jazz whined, pushing through the wide array of colored skirts and shorts and pants and shirts.

With a huff, Marshy glided down to land on Dawn's back, broad wings folding in as the reddish-brunette finally settled on an outfit.

A bright red tank top with the words 'Love Makes The World Go 'Round' under a big pink heart, matched with a red-and-pink ruffled skirt, was pulled free of the mass, and she turned to grab a pair of thigh-high pink-and-black socks from the drawers.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, teeth minty-fresh and long curls pulled up into pigtails with pink ribbons, Jazz bounced out into the hallway, socked feet sliding on the tile.

Turning away from the stove, tending to the bubbling pancakes while telekinetically setting the tiny table and keeping the youngsters amused with toys, a Reuniclus squeaked, floating over a large mug- _shaped like BB-8_ -filled to the brim with sugar-heavy coffee.

"Thanks, Teddy." She chirped, giving the Multiplying Pokemon a quick peck on the cheek while skipping over to the nearby green-orange plaid armchair to pull on her clunky black combat boots.

Downing the heavenly brew in three efficient gulps, she did up all the zippers and straps and buckles, humming a bouncy tune as Lily and her Pokemon dug into a- _somewhat_ -healthy breakfast of strawberry pancakes and banana slices.

Teddy dutifully wrapped up the butterscotch-and-bacon pancakes for her to eat later at work as Marshy collected the child's backpack, Dawn reassembling all of the forgotten crayons and papers left lying about.

"Ready to go stay with grandpa for the week, squirt?"

Cheeks puffed up like a Pachirisu in autumn, the three-year-old nodded enthusiastically, ponytail smacking her back.

"Grandpa Mike is gonna make flubber!" She managed around the mouthful, ignoring Teddy's fretful entreaties for her to swallow as Jazz pouted.

"Lucky…"

Grabbing her own messenger bag, made up more of various pins than cloth by this point, she swung it into place as Teddy cleaned syrup off the squirming toddler's face.

"Time to go."

Giggling as she ducked away from the Psychic-type's ministrations, Lily fumbled with a pair of Poke Balls, one red and the other white.

"Rosie! Moonie!"

The Torchic and Vulpix dutifully allowed themselves to be recalled, and Lily carefully stowed the shrunken spheres on the belt built into her adorable Wonder Woman themed sundress as her Eevee leapt up to cling to a shoulder.

Her own breakfast safely tucked away, Jazz recalled Teddy and Marshy- _their Poke Balls an opaque green and white-red-blue respectively_ -before taking the child's hand to lead her towards the door.

As Dawn took her customary place on Lily's other side, accepting of the little fingers that tangled in her fur, Jazz smiled.

 _Today was gonna be a good one_.


	2. Chapter 2

Jasmine Holmes had always been a fan of mysteries.

Gathering clues, discovering connections, uncovering each little truth…

Being a forensic scientist with the Gotham City Police Department certainly gave her the puzzles, even if the job was less thrilling than battling Gyms.

Machines whirred to life along the walls, humming and beeping as lights blinked and screens lit up, tarnished chrome against faded white in the cramped laboratory.

Pulling on her white coat, pigtails already twisted up into buns, Jazz smiled as the heavy door closed with the heavy _click_ of an engaged lock.

Scarred wooden shelves housed thick reference volumes, and lockers of various sizes sat innocently on the opposite wall, case numbers slid neatly into each little plastic holder.

Taking pride of place in the center was both a wide evidence table- _made so the surface could be turned on for better visibility_ -and a massive monster of towers and wires and screens that was her computer, which was booting up right on cue.

Padding soundlessly around the perimeter, Dawn pawed at a mound of blankets by the carefully constructed monstrosity before settling down, eyes sliding closed as her ears twitched.

A flick of the wrists, and Marshy trilled as she swooped around, landing on a carefully-crafted nest positioned on one of the taller machines while Teddy bobbed about, squeaking to himself as he checked each screen.

Wheels squealed across tile as Jazz dropped into a chair, rolling over to the computer's keyboard as a familiar figure appeared on the main screen.

"Good morning, Miss Holmes." A slightly static-tinged voice greeted from the speakers, a woman's dreamy tones softening the edge.

"Morning, Jeanie!" The reddish-brunette replied, grin star-bright as the Porygon evolution shifted heads.

Three years ago, when she had first started working as a forensic specialist for the department, Jazz had been given a Porygon as a safety precaution against hackers and corrupt coworkers that might try to alter results or steal information.

 _The fact Jeanie had been both young and completely untrained at the time spoke volumes_.

Undeterred, Jazz had proceeded to spend every free moment for the next year training and updating and upgrading the little digital Pokemon, which eventually led to an unexpected secondary evolutionary branch for the species she lovingly called Porygon-G.

A deep black under an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of stars, Jeanie had four disembodied heads that floated independently of each other, and two sets of floating wings that circled her spherical body like white moons.

She was not made for battle, sure, but no Porygon was better at multitasking.

"Anything interesting?"

One of the screens changed to a chemical composition chart, and Jeanie shifted to a blue-eyed head.

"The results came in on sample number five-one-eight-three-six. Potassium Nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal."

"Gunpowder." Jazz noted, leaning back as Teddy joined her. "Just like I thought."

"Sample number five-one-eight-three-seven also came in. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, aloe vera, glycerin, cetyl acetate, petroleum, phthalic anhydride."

"Nail polish remover?"

The woman shared a look with her Reuniclus, as if reading each other's minds.

"You're gonna need to do a search for me, Jeanie."

"As you wish." The Porygon-G replied, shifting to a yellow-eyed head. "Sample numbers five-one-eight-three-eight, five-one-eight-three-nine, five-one-eight-four-zero, five-one-eight-four-one, five-one-eight-four-two, five-one-eight-four-three, five-one-eight-four-four, five-one-eight-four-five, five-one-eight-four-six, and five-one-eight-four-seven are still being analyzed and processed for case number three-seven-two-nine. Is there anything else you require, Miss Holmes?"

"Not right now." Jazz replied, boots jingling. "Could you open the locker for case numbers three-seven-two-nine, three-seven-three-zero, three-seven-three-one, and three-seven-three-two?"

"As you wish."

Three of the lockers opened with a hiss of disengaging locks, and Teddy telekinetically lifted out the many bags of evidence as the woman stood, pulling on a pair of latex gloves as she rounded the table.

A ding echoed from the speakers, and Jeanie's voice followed.

"Incoming call from Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes. Should I put her through?"

"Go ahead!"

A click, and…

" **At work already, huh?** "

"Hey, Rach!" Jazz chirped back, a bounce in her step as she sifted through the many bags of evidence. "You know how it is; so much to do! How was court?"

"… **I'm so sorry, Jazz.** "

Pausing in her work, the young woman took a deep breath as her Pokemon looked on, resigned.

"He got off."

" **Crane convinced the jury that Zsasz was legally insane.** " Rachel admitted, subdued even through the usual background static. " **With your results, there was no question he committed the murders, but…** "

 _But that does not prove he was of sound mind when he committed them_.

"Don't worry about it, Rach." She assured, a touch of extra force in her bounce. "We'll get 'em next time!"

" **Jazz…** "

"We're still on for lunch, right?"

A sigh crackled through, though there was a hint of a smile in her voice when Rachel spoke again.

" **Yeah, we're still on for lunch.** "

"We'll figure things out then." Jazz decided, shoulders straightening.

 _Because at this point, there was no other choice_.

Ending the call with their usual pleasantries, the reddish-brunette dropped back into her chair in a boneless sprawl, staring up at the overhead tile with half-lidded green eyes.

This was hardly the first time a case had fallen through, let alone because of Doctor Jonathon Crane, but after a while…

A weight landed on her chest, feather-light, and she smiled, sinking one hand into the downy fluff beneath the sleek white-red-blue plumage.

Greed had gotten its rotten tendrils into every crevice of the justice system, and the decay was only spreading…

Teddy draped himself over the woman's shoulders and chair, humming from his bone-like inner body right to the surface of his soft, opaque flesh.

A moist nose pressed against lax fingers, and Jazz turned her head to meet Dawn's sad eyes.

"I'm fine." She promised, hand turning to curl around leafy ears. "Just…tired."

The Grass-type made no sound, just pressed into her hip and purred as Jazz scratched lightly through tan fur, eyes locked on the picture of three smiling children sitting innocently on her desk.

"We'll get through this."


	3. Chapter 3

Jazz had been asked many times in her life why she kept coming back to Gotham.

After taking the opportunity to travel when she turned ten, she went anywhere and everywhere for more than a decade, but she never stayed away for long.

Everyone she met had the same thing to say.

 _Why would you ever go back?_

Stepping into the homey little diner, there was Rachel in their back booth, pouring over a case file, and Jazz grinned.

 _Where else could she possibly want to be?_

Gem gleaming, an Espeon tilted her head as they approached, and Rachel looked up with a tired smile.

"Hello, Jazz."

"Hey, Rach. Hey, Angel."

The Sun Pokemon hummed in greeting, touching noses with Dawn as Jazz slid into the booth opposite her friend as the manila folder was slid over.

"This is the third time Doctor Crane has gotten one of Carmine Falcone's thugs put in Arkham Asylum instead of prison." Rachel sighed, one hand dropping to rub behind Angel's sensitive ears.

"Big coincidence." The smaller noted, glancing up from the papers she was flipping through. "That so many of Falcone's hitmen are off their rockers."

Angel shifted, forked tail flicking at the air, as Dawn sprawled across her person's feet, ears twitching.

"Carl won't even touch them." Rachel admitted, frustration creasing her brow. "I just need something on Falcone, on Crane, on _anyone_ , so I can get these guys off the streets."

Fiddling with a napkin, the younger flashed a bright smile at the pretty blonde waitress that paused at their table, whose cheeks flushed pink.

"Coffee with heavy cream and sugar, please."

"I'll take mine black." Rachel agreed, leaning back with a sigh.

As the waitress rushed off to fill their order, Jazz leaned forward on her elbows, something solemn in her bright eyes.

"You know I'm with you on this, Rach, to the end of the line."

The other woman snorted, almost rolling her own eyes at the movie quote, but refrained.

"Just be careful. These guys…I know _exactly_ what they're capable of. I know what _Falcone_ is capable of. The last thing I want is you on their hit list."

"I can take care of myself, Jazz."

Even the Pokemon leveled her with a skeptical look, and Rachel rubbed at her temple in acquiescence to their point.

"But I'll be careful."

Their coffee arrived, and Jazz offered up another smile as she thanked the young woman, who giggled and rushed off again.

"How do you _always_ know?" Rachel wondered, sipping at her bitter brew as the reddish-brunette smiled wider, pleased.

"It's a gift."

"Only _you_ would have a gift for being able to know if someone is gay." She rejoined, that tired smile returning.

"What can I say, I'm a woman of many talents."

Relaxing against her person's legs, Dawn started to purr as the conversation turned to lighter things, keeping watch as Angel curled up under Rachel's legs.

 _In a place like Gotham, you could never be too careful_.

* * *

On the outside, Wayne Manor had not changed a bit since Jazz was a little girl.

On the inside…

 _Well, a lot of things were different now_.

Cresting the long hill of steps to the front door, Jazz brushed some dandelion fluff off her skirt while digging the keys out of her bag and bouncing over to the heavy wooden doors.

The lock disengaged with a heavy _click_ , and she shoved the barrier open with one shoulder, making room for Dawn to pad in ahead of her.

A tinkling little noise greeted them, and Jazz beamed.

"Hey, Yedda."

The Chimecho let out a bright note, clearly happy to see them, and waved her tag-like tail in hello.

Alfred and Yedda had been a staple of Wayne Manor for as long as she could remember, back when Gotham was not quite so scary and this place had been a home, but ever since…

Shaking the memory away, Jazz smiled wider, boots jingling as she skipped over the threshold.

The grand front entrance was flooded with light from the lofty windows, and the young woman paused at the sight of uncovered furniture in the adjoining rooms, brow furrowing.

"Is Alfred cleaning or something?"

"Or something."

A sharp breath stabbing into her lungs, Jazz turned with wide, shimmering eyes to see a ghost.

"Hi, Jazz." Bruce greeted softly, guilt twisting his mouth into a smile. "It's been a long time."

A choked-off sob, and she flung herself into a startled Bruce's arms, nearly sending both of them toppling over onto the marble as he caught her and spun.

Wrapping around him with the tenacity of a Tentacruel, she burrowed into the warmth of his shirt and cried, unable to hold in the tears after seven years of fruitless searching.

After a few moments, strong arms settled around her back, and Bruce rested his chin on the woman's head with a deep breath.

"You jerk…" She sniffled, slowly regaining control.

"Your jerk." He rejoined, sharing a look with his Umbreon as the Dark-type slid into view.

Shade yelped as he was bowled over, submitting after a token struggle to Dawn's frantic, concerned inspection of his wellbeing.

Peeking out at them, Jazz let out a watery little giggle, and Bruce relaxed a fraction at the sound.

"Where have you been?" She wondered, finally pulling back to wipe away the remnants of her tears.

"Where _haven't_ I been." He replied jokingly, hands shoved in his pockets now. "I just…There was something I had to do."

Peering up at him with those big green eyes, as if reading the entire story from the lines of his face, Jazz eventually nodded, a smile starting to form.

"I knew you'd come back."

It drew out a smile from him, like it always did, and the world seemed to fit back into place.

"Where else could I possibly want to be?"


	4. Chapter 4

Green eyes blinked slowly as Jazz leaned away from the bloody clothes on her worktable, flipping up her magnifying visor with a sigh.

"Time?"

"One thirty-eight am."

As Teddy put the evidence safely back into their respective bags, she snapped off the latex gloves on her hands and rubbed the edge of sleep away, shoulders slumping.

While she enjoyed the work, almost seventeen hours was really pushing it.

"I think it's time to go home." Jazz decided, removing the visor while straightening out her blue Cookie Monster shirt and brushing dust off her matching blue-and-black ruffled skirt. "Let's clean all this up, and start fresh tomorrow."

Trilling in agreement, Marshy glided down to open the lockers for Teddy as he telekinetically bagged the evidence once more, obviously eager to leave.

Dawn made no move to get up, one tawny eye open as her ear flicked towards the door.

A heavy bang followed almost immediately, and Jazz slid a glance at the Leafeon as Jeanie spoke.

"Sergeant James Gordon is requesting entry. Should I let him in?"

"Open sesame, Jeanie."

The lock disengaged with a hiss, and said sergeant rushed in, Growlithe on his heels and Magnemite buzzing over one shoulder.

"I need you to run this." He panted, an evidence bag clutched tightly in one hand.

"Jeez, Jimmy, you look like you saw a ghost." Jazz worried, rushing around the table as Teddy bobbed over, gently extricating the bag from his white-knuckled grip.

"I kinda did." Jim admitted, Growlithe leaning close with a low growl, fur prickling. "Someone stopped by my office for a chat. Made me think that was a gun."

Noting the stapler safely locked into the clear plastic, Jazz motioned for Teddy to lay it on her worktable as Dawn rose, padding over to touch noses with Growlithe and groom the frazzled Puppy Pokemon's ears until he calmed a little.

"Did he hurt you? Was anything taken?" She worried, Marshy fluttering around Magnemite with concerned chirps.

"I'm fine." Jim assured, regaining control. "Like I said, he just wanted to talk."

Eyeing the older man for a moment, she nodded as Marshy landed on the backs of her shoulders, peering out from under her person's ponytail of curls.

"Alright…I'll get right on it, Jimmy." Jazz replied, patting Dawn's head as the Grass-type curled around her legs. "Maybe you should head home and get some sleep."

"Yeah…" He agreed, rubbing at the headache forming behind his eyes. "Maybe I should."

Stapler safely set aside and ready for processing, Teddy offered an orange pill container of Advil in one hand, waves of psychic energy washing over the lab in his concern.

"Take a couple of these and get back to your family." The young woman ordered, already herding the sergeant and his Pokemon back out the door. "You get a good night's sleep, eat a big breakfast, and come back ready to kick criminal butt."

Chuckling, Jim allowed himself to be manhandled out into the hall, turning to offer a tired smile that barely shifted his moustache.

"Alright, alright. Good night, Jasmine."

With a little shake of her head, Jazz shoved the headache medication into his chest and turned away with a wave.

"Night, Jimmy."

The lock reengaged with a hiss, and she took a moment to breathe before crossing over to the table, snapping on the gloves Teddy offered.

"Let's get to work."

* * *

Curled up on a couch in one of Wayne Manor's many sitting rooms, Jazz gently scratched her fingers through Shade's dark fur as Dawn curled around him, lazily grooming the Dark-type's ears.

The Umbreon purred like an old car engine, slitting a red-eyed glare towards his human at the- _particularly unsubtle_ -smile on Bruce's face from where he sat on the other end.

Wisely not mentioning his Pokemon's mood, the man leaned back with a restrained chuckle, relaxed.

"You never caught anymore Pokemon." She noted, curling her fingers around a blue-ringed ear so Shade stretched, butting foreheads with Dawn.

"Neither did Rachel."

Green eyes flicked up to meet dark brown, one eyebrow rising.

"Have you actually _talked_ to Rachel since coming back?"

Bruce immediately broke eye contact, jaw shifting as if trying to loosen the words from his throat, and Dawn huffed in amusement.

"She'll be glad you're back." Jazz continued softly, glancing away. "You should go see her."

After a moment, he dropped a hand onto her hair, fingers tangling in loosened curls.

"I'll think about it."

* * *

Nursing her fifth cup of coffee- _filled with so much sugar it would have rotted through steel_ -, Jazz lazily spun around in circles on her chair, head thrown back with a sigh.

The stapler sat innocently on her worktable, dusted and swabbed and processed, as the machines on every wall did their work.

Dawn watched from her little bed of blankets, ears drooped back, Marshy nestled into her warm fur and Teddy draped over both of them in a dead sleep.

A movie was projected onto the ceiling overhead, and she watched as Ariel sang about the human world in her little hideaway, mind turning over sluggishly.

 _If seventeen hours was pushing it, sixty-five was_ _ **torture**_.

Jeanie, who had been placidly processing results while watching the movie, suddenly went utterly still, heads shifting to one with piercing red eyes.

"Sensors number thirty-eight, thirty-nine and forty have been deactivated."

Jerking upright, coffee sloshing in her massive R2D2 mug, the reddish-brunette shoved her beverage away.

"What?"

"You should be more careful."

The voice had her jerking around with a squeal of plastic wheels, leaping up as Dawn and Marshy and Teddy became alert of the new shadow in their lab.

"Who are you?" Jazz demanded, wide awake now as she tried to take in this intruder.

"A friend." He replied, voice gravel-rough. "You're the only person I can trust to find the truth."

Crawling down the wall, a Noivern watched the other Pokemon calmly as he placed two stuffed animals on the tile between them.

The Teddiursa and Buneary plush toys stared up at her with dark button eyes, and Jazz studied them for a moment before glancing back to find the mysterious visitor and his Pokemon were gone.

"Jeanie?"

"Current scans show sensors thirty-eight, thirty-nine and forty are back online, and there are no other breaches."

With a look, Teddy picked up the toys with his telekinesis and placed them on the worktable as Dawn pressed against their human's leg.

Lower lip sliding between her teeth, Jazz dropped a hand between the leafy ears, Marshy circling the room to check for any physical breaches in the walls.

Black armor and encompassing cape, only the glitter of dark eyes and a mouth revealing the man underneath…

Blinking the thoughts away, she grabbed a fresh pair of latex gloves and pulled them on with a snap.

"Pull up my playlist, Jeanie. I need some theme music."

As the opening notes of 'Fight Song' echoed through the lab, Jazz let out a deep breath and started to smile.

 _Like a small boat, on the ocean…_

 _Sending big waves, into motion…_


	5. Chapter 5

"Auntie Jazz!"

Grinning wide, Jazz dropped down into a crouch to catch her excited niece, spinning around back onto her feet as Lily shrieked in laughter.

"Hey, squirt! Did you have fun with grandpa?"

"Uh huh!"

As the tiny brunette wrapped her arms around Jazz's neck and hugged tight, wrinkling her bright yellow 'Don't Worry BEE Happy' bumblebee tank top, Jazz shared a look with said grandfather.

Mike was a mountain of a man, fit and stout, with laughing grey eyes in a grizzled face and scars that told a million stories.

"She was a little angel." He assured, his Machamp striding up with Violet, Rose, and Moonflower hanging from three of his four arms.

"You big liar." She teased, settling the toddler more comfortably on one hip as tiny fingers curled into her loose hair.

"I hear things are going well at work." Mike noted, petting Dawn's head as the Leafeon finished her usual rounds.

"They are." Jazz agreed, swinging Lily's paint-spattered bag over a shoulder. "I'm still processing evidence, but there's plenty for Rachel to work with."

"Just be careful." Her father warned, pressing a kiss to the young woman's forehead. "I wouldn't want to have Champ go out there to break some legs anytime soon."

Nodding along, Jazz bounced up to plant a kiss on his stubble-covered cheek.

"I'll be fine, dad. Promise."

A soft _ding_ distracted her, and the reddish-brunette dug through a rear jean shorts' pocket for her Pokedex as Lily happily babbled away about her stay.

"Miss Holmes, you are needed back in your lab." Jeanie informed her, wings rotating this way and that.

"Oh, uh…"

"I'll keep her a few more days." Mike assured, ruffling his daughter's curls. "Go save the day."

Beaming up at him, Jazz smacked a bigger kiss on his other cheek, already rushing back out the door with Dawn right on her heels.

"You're the best thanks dad bye!"

Shaking his head fondly, Mike shared a look with an exasperated Champ.

" _Kids_."

* * *

"Alright, Jeanie." Jazz started, already twisting her hair up into a messy bun as she crossed the threshold. "What's up?"

"I found an anomaly in the contents of these stuffed animals." The Porygon-G explained, allowing Teddy to retrieve said toys from their new locker as Dawn and Marshy scouted out the perimeter. "While the Teddiursa contains street-grade narcotics, namely heroin, the Buneary has an as of yet unknown powder that is not currently listed in any database."

Latex gloves snapping into place, Jazz slid a breathing mask on as she carefully retrieved another sample of this mystery substance.

"No similarities?"

"The most that could be determined is that the substance is plant-based."

"Well, a lot of drugs are plant-based…" She mused, preparing a slide. "Let's take a look."

Flicking the microscope to an appropriate setting, Jazz slid the pieces of glass into place and peered inside, curious.

"Well, _that's_ new…"

With a change of the magnification, she noted the cellular structure before a ding shattered her train of thought.

"Incoming call from Alfred Pennyworth. Should I put him through?"

"Go ahead, Jeanie."

With a click, the butler's voice came through in a shower of static, an almost frantic ringing sound echoing in the background.

" **Miss Jasmine, I need you to come immediately.** "

The tone of voice had Jazz straightening instantly, already ripping off her gloves.

"What's going on? Is someone hurt?"

" **It's Master Wayne. Please, hurry!** "

Adrenaline hit Jazz's veins like lava, and she was out of the door before even Dawn could catch up, only one thing on her mind.

 _Not again_.


	6. Chapter 6

Sunlight streamed in to pierce his eyelids, and Bruce blinked away the glare as he stirred, every muscle aching.

Head propped on the man's hip, Shade hummed as his human finally woke up, blue-ringed ears flicking upright as a heavy hand landed on his head.

"Hey, sleepyhead."

Eyes slitting open against the dawn, Bruce took in the young woman at his bedside, from her riotous red-tinted curls and sleep-bruised green eyes to the rumpled purple shirt- _this one reading 'I'm Lost Without You' with a cartoon panda holding a map_ -and jean shorts over black-on-purple polka dot thigh-high socks, shoulders slumping.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days." Jazz admitted, grabbing a fizzing glass of water Teddy handed her and offering it to him. "Happy birthday."

Marshy landed on the rumpled sheets by his feet, twittering softly, and Bruce took a heaving gulp of the sour liquid with a grimace.

"What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butt, for once." She teased, flashing a tired smile. "Synthesizing an antidote for an unknown hallucinogen isn't exactly easy."

Sluggish as his mind was, Bruce clicked the pieces together and almost shot upright, biting back a groan at the vehement protest of every muscle in his body.

"Uh, I was just, I didn't-"

The unimpressed looks all of the Pokemon- _including Shade, the traitor_ -leveled on him brought an end to his fumbled excuses, and Jazz bit her lip on a giggle.

"Alfred already told me everything." She explained, eyes lightening with amusement. "Considering you had a Noivern and a Crobat hovering over you like mother hens when I got here."

Resisting the urge to smack himself- _and resolving to have a talk with Dan and Kongju about a little thing called_ _ **secrecy**_ -, Bruce resigned himself to the fact that Jazz knew his secret.

"Can you make more?"

Blinking at the sudden shift, Jazz tilted her head and nodded, pushing back her long hair with one hand.

"Lou has the equipment over at Wayne Enterprises. I'll let him know to bring what we have."

After a moment, she leaned closer, peering up at him with wide, worried eyes.

"Bruce, what's going on?"

And just like that, he crumbled.

"It's a long story…"

* * *

The echo of a doorbell pulled Jazz's attention away from her Pokedex, Jeanie already disappearing to contact Lucius about the antidote and further encrypt her files.

Alfred walked past to the front hall, Yedda jingling in his wake, and she shared a look with Dawn, curious.

Sure, there was a birthday party for Bruce tonight, but it was much too early for any guests to be arriving…

Unable to help herself, Jazz hopped to her feet and started towards the front door, Dawn at her side as Marshy swooped past and Teddy bobbed at her back.

"Rachel!"

"Jazz? What are you doing here?" The other woman wondered, caught off-guard as Yedda accepted the package in her hands.

"Oh, you know, just checking up on Bruce." She replied airily, bouncing over with a smile as Angel touched noses with Dawn.

"You sure you don't want to come in?" Alfred offered kindly.

"I have to get back." Rachel demurred, smile a touch too wide as she motioned to the gift. "I just wanted to leave this."

"Rachel?"

Shade practically glided down the steps towards them, pausing in front Angel uncertainly as his human followed, prompting Alfred to hand over the package and retreat with Yedda.

"Looks like someone's been burning the candle at both ends." Rachel noted, her smile a touch sad now, and Jazz glanced between them, silent. "Must have been quite an occasion."

"Well, it's my birthday." Bruce replied softly, something restrained about the expression on his face.

"I'm sorry I can't come tonight. I was just dropping off your present."

"Got better plans?" He wondered, concern furrowing his brow.

"My boss has been missing for two days. Which in this town, probably means I should by looking at the bottom of the river."

The admission had both Bruce and Jazz on high alert, sharing a look as Rachel glanced away, her Pokedex ringing while Angel closed her eyes, ears twitching back.

"Sorry…"

Shade's ears lowered, obviously sensing the Espeon's growing melancholy, and Dawn turned to her human with a low sound as the assistant district attorney answered a call.

"Rachel Dawes…Who authorized that?"

The sudden change in tone had all of the Pokemon reacting, Marshy landing on her human's shoulders to nestle close as Teddy orbited like a fretful moon, eyes locked on Rachel as she continued issuing orders.

"What's wrong?" Bruce wondered, serious.

"Falcone. Doctor Crane moved him to Arkham Asylum on suicide watch."

"You're going to Arkham now? It's in the Narrows, Rachel." He warned.

"You enjoy your party, Bruce." She responded with a tight smile. "Some of us have work to do."

"I'm coming with."

Both turned to stare at Jazz, who offered up a bright, reassuring smile.

"I _did_ minor in psychology, you know."

Bruce, at least, heard the underlying _and tore through five Elite Fours like wax paper_ that was left unsaid.

Rachel accepted defeat as gracefully as she could, and Jazz recalled Marshy and Teddy as they hurried down the outside steps, green eyes glancing back.

 _I'll take care of her_.

As they slid into Rachel's battered old blue car, Pokemon hopping into the back seat, Shade turned to follow his human back inside.

 _Hold on until I get there_.


	7. Chapter 7

Arkham Asylum was a fortress, all heavy brick and metal, worn down by time and lack of maintenance.

Only the criminally insane were housed here, stripped of all humanity and left alone to be 'rehabilitated', a feat that had not been achieved in decades, their Pokemon ripped away to spend the rest of their lives in an on-site storage system.

 _The whole place was a black hole of misery, and Jazz absolutely loathed it_.

But wherever Rachel went, so went her nation, and letting her walk in there with only Angel to protect her was not something Jazz could do.

Glancing around the harshly-lit, dingy white hallway once more, the tiny brunette turned her focus back to the once-feared crime lord as Falcone muttered one word over and over again.

"Scarecrow…Scarecrow…"

Dawn's hackles rose, the only sign of her unease, as Angel paced underneath the viewing window, Rachel staring hard at the criminal strapped to a table beyond the smeared glass.

"Miss Dawes."

Glancing away from the muttering mob boss, Jazz took in the man that approached them, one hand passing over her Leafeon's head to soothe the Grass-type's nerves.

Doctor Jonathon Crane was thin, though not overly tall, expression carefully blank as he took the two women in.

In his dark suit and sensible shoes, he was not exactly a threatening figure, but she could see shadows behind those ice-pale eyes…

"And who is this?"

Blinking away such thoughts, Jazz flashed an easy smile, one hand falling to pass a hand over Dawn's hackles.

"Jasmine Holmes. I'm the lead forensic specialist for the GCPD, and their on-hand psychological profiler."

"She's here to give another opinion on Falcone's mental state." Rachel cut in briskly, apparently unaware of the way Angel flinched away from the man, ears low as she slunk behind her human's legs. "Don't you find it convenient for a fifty-two-year-old man, who has no history of mental illness, to have a complete psychotic breakdown just before he's about to be indicted?"

"As you can see for yourself, there is nothing _convenient_ about his symptoms." Doctor Crane replied, reserved as ever.

Lower lip sliding between her teeth as she glanced between them, Jazz nodded her head to the glass.

"He seems pretty fixated on this 'scarecrow'." She noted, hands clasped behind her back as Dawn slowly sat. "According to Jungian archetypes, the scarecrow represents monstrous emotions that provoke fear. It's strange that, after a lifetime of killing and cheating, he would suddenly feel some measure of guilt over his actions and have such a severe break."

Doctor Crane turned his attention fully from Rachel at that, truly studying this tiny woman for the first time.

"Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormentor, usually one conforming to Jungian archetypes. In this case, a scarecrow."

Nodding along, she glanced back towards Falcone, strapped to a gurney and completely unaware of the world around him.

"Yet his first suicide attempt occurred a full day _after_ being apprehended by the Batman." She continued, green meeting blue. "And there's no documentation of this sort of behavior being present then."

Something flashed through those icy eyes, maybe a trick of the light, before Rachel cut in.

"He's drugged?"

"Psychopharmacology is my primary specialty. I'm a strong advocate." Doctor Crane answered coolly. "Outside, he was a giant. In here, only the mind can grant you power."

"You enjoy the reversal." The ADA noted, mouth twisting at the thought.

"I respect the mind's power over the body. It's why I do what I do." He replied evenly, gaze still locked on Jazz's own.

"I do what I do to put thugs like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy." Rachel retorted, brushing past him and forcing a break in eye contact. "I want my own psychiatric consultant to have full access to Falcone, including bloodwork. Find out exactly what you put him on."

Taking a deep breath, Jazz threaded her fingers through Dawn's fur before following, eyeing the doctor from her peripheral.

Something was very much _not right_ with him…

"First thing tomorrow, then." Doctor Crane acquiesced, joining them to wait for the elevator.

"Tonight." Rachel corrected, firm. "I've already paged Doctor Lehman at County General."

The elevator arrived with a ding, doors sliding open, and Angel whined low in her throat as he joined them.

"As you wish."

A key was turned in the panel, and Jazz watched the numbers roll down, gnawing on her lip as they passed the main floor.

 _Where were they going?_

The doors opened to a damp hallway, much further down than they had gone up, and Jazz almost squeaked when Rachel exited after Doctor Crane as if none of this was at all suspicious.

 _Have you learned_ _ **nothing**_ _from our Halloween movie marathons?!_

"This way, please. There's something I think you should see."

Rushing after them, both Dawn and Angel on her heels, Jazz jumped past the stairs and caught up just inside the heavy double doors, eyes widening.

Inmates in their orange jumpsuits were milling about below, breathing masks over their faces as they handled an unknown white substance, an exposed pipe rushing water away as a concoction was poured in…

"This is where we make the medicine." Doctor Crane voiced, eerily at ease. "Perhaps you should have some. Clear your head."

Finally, Rachel seemed to realize the danger they were in, but the way out was blocked by a grinning Banette, light glinting off his zippered mouth as those purple-pink eyes glowed with malevolent glee.

 _Shit_.

Ducking under the Ghost-type's Sucker Punch, Jazz rolled away as Dawn leapt into the fray with a howl, whipping around to deflect the move with a Leaf Blade that forced Banette back.

Tumbling head-over-heels, the Marionette Pokemon righted himself and smiled, fading into the shadows before Dawn could land a direct hit with a Hyper Voice that rattled the windows.

Angel shrieked as the enemy's Shadow Sneak struck her from underneath, sending the Espeon flying, and Rachel gasped, reaching out for her Pokemon-

And there was Doctor Crane, a burlap mask pulled over his face as he sprayed some sort of white mist- _it was some sort of weaponized hallucinogen, in aerosol form_ -that had her screaming.

"Rach!"

Banette cried out as Dawn pinned him down with a vicious Bite to his shoulder, practically snarling, while Jazz whipped around to plant a solid left hook to the good doctor's masked face just before the same drug was blasted into her own face.

Coughing on the sour taste, she stumbled back as the whole world went hazy, filling with blood and screams and-

 _It's not_ _ **real**_ , Jazz told herself fiercely. _It's just the drug_.

Closing her eyes against the nightmarish visions, ears starting to ring, a hand touched her arm-

The guard yelped as a steel-toed combat boot slammed down on his foot, arm twisting as he was flipped flat on his back.

Another squeaked in absolute agony as the other foot found a very sensitive part of his anatomy, and Doctor Crane could only watch, fascinated, as this tiny slip of a girl fought through her worst nightmares.

 _All good things, however, have to come to an end_.

The second dose was a surprise, only discernible from the fresh burn in her lungs, and Jazz could hardly tell up from down anymore, the whole world _red red red_ -

 _It's not real,_ _ **it's not real**_ -

A horrible face, all rotted flesh and hateful eyes, reaching into her chest and _squeezing_ -

 _ **Not real**_ -

Lungs burning, ribs creaking, heart a trapped bird in a monster's hands-

 **And darkness**.


	8. Chapter 8

Consciousness returned slowly, one sense at a time.

First the _drip-drip-drip_ of water on stone, the rush of falling water, the rustle of leathery wings…

Then the scent of damp earth and wet rock…

The smooth surface underneath her back, cool air on her exposed skin…

Eyelids fluttering open against the harsh floodlights, Jazz groaned and tried to roll away, every muscle aching.

Warm fur pressed into her chilled flesh, and she instinctively wrapped herself around Dawn, checking with soft fingertips for any injuries.

However long she had been out, it was apparently long enough for someone to get the Leafeon treated, and the reddish-brunette relaxed with a sigh.

Curled into her human's chest, Dawn purred comfortingly, nuzzling closer.

Having adjusted to the brightness, Jazz finally blinked her eyes open and took in their surroundings, curious.

Stalactites and stalagmites threw shadows from the lights, the ground shimmering with a thin layer of water despite the equipment and tables set up.

Peering up, she could see Zubat roosting in the nooks and crannies overhead, squeaking softly in the dark.

 _The bat-cave, huh?_

Biting back a giggle, Jazz smiled as a familiar form slunk out of the shadows, large ears twitching.

"Hi, Dan." She whispered, voice rough. "Hi, Juju."

The Noivern murmured back, sliding over to the table as his Crobat companion screeched softly in greeting, all four wings folded neatly as she rode along.

Forcing herself to sit up- _with a little help from Dawn_ -, Jazz checked that Marshy and Teddy's Poke Balls were still secured to the loops of her shorts before swinging her legs over to get down.

"That stuff should come with a warning…" She muttered, forcing her knees to stay strong. "May cause violent hallucinations and hangovers…"

Kongju snickered, clearly amused, before both bat-like Pokemon went still.

Pulling her tangled hair up into a ponytail, the young woman paused as Dawn pressed into her side, vibrating with a low growl.

"…Where's the door?"

All three took off towards the nearest collection of stalagmites, and she stumbled after them, boots sliding on the slippery rock before Jazz adjusted.

Hidden in the crevice behind the rocky outcroppings was an old open-wall elevator, big enough to have been meant for transporting large groups, and Dan forced the protective caging open for them to enter.

Once the metal accordion door squealed closed, Jazz turned the sole lever and felt her stomach swoop as the elevator started to rise, taking them up through a man-made shaft in the rock.

Kongju signaled with a sharp sound for her to stop their ascent, and the reddish-brunette rushed out into a short, dark hallway, heart starting to pound.

 _Something was wrong_.

Kongju pulled the hidden door open before Jazz reached it, revealing the empty sitting room beyond, piano sitting innocently to one side as night bled through the windows.

 _I was out of it for a long time_.

Crossing the room quickly, she glanced up and down the eerily silent hallway, brow furrowing.

 _Did I miss the party?_

Either way, finding Bruce was more important, and she started towards the entrance hall.

The closer she got, the more agitated the Pokemon became, and Jazz practically broke into a run through the hallways, heart pounding.

Wood splintering, porcelain shattering, liquid being splashed on marble-

Bursting into the room, Jazz wasted no time in figuring out who the enemy was.

One of the black-suited men rushed to intercept, and she slid under his grasping hands, elbow slamming into his ribs and leg hooking around to send him toppling back with a wheeze.

His Arbok hissed, rearing back to strike, just before Dawn came down on his head with an Iron Tail that made a crater in the flooring.

Using the momentum, Jazz slid around and under a sword swing, one leg striking out to break his footing and reach up to grab his arm, thumb pressing painfully into his wrist as she twisted, her fist slamming straight into his nose.

Chaos erupted, fire rushing up the walls, and she threw down the Poke Balls on her belt.

"Marshy, Water Pulse! Teddy, Psychic!"

The Togekiss shot off the water-based attack as quickly as she could, trying to fight the blaze, as Teddy picked up the Toxicroak and Seviper that tried to intercept and slammed them together.

Jazz turned to face down the man standing over Bruce's pinned body, cane-sword drawn, his Dusknoir holding Dan and Kongju down with a Hex while Binding Shade.

"Justice is about balance." He noted calmly, as if the whole manor was not catching fire around them. "He burned my house and left me for dead. Consider us even."

The three Pokemon were thrown aside like ragdolls, Marshy swooping in to catch them with a Psychic as Teddy fired off a Psyshock after the retreating men.

Sliding over to Bruce's side, Jazz pressed a finger to his neck and almost sighed in relief at the pulse that beat underneath.

But the growing crackle of flames cut any such relief short, forcing her to think quickly.

"Marshy, bring them over here! Dawn, use Protect!"

The Leafeon nodded, pulling up a shimmering dome around both humans and the assembled Pokemon, staving off the worst of the smoke.

More of the ceiling collapsed, but Teddy tossed it away with a Psychic as Marshy used a Heal Bell on Bruce's disoriented, battered Pokemon.

"Master Wayne!"

The shout snapped her around, and she ordered Dawn to drop the Protect quickly.

"Alfred!"

The butler rushed to help as Bruce finally came to, and Yedda joined Teddy in telekinetically lifting the beam off to free him.

Sliding in under Bruce's arm, Jazz supported him in their frantic rush back towards the secret entrance, Marshy and a weakened Dan trying to clear their path with Water Pulse to lessen the flames.

Kongju landed on her back, unable to keep going in the smoke, as Dawn forced her body into photosynthesis to clear the air, supporting a stumbling Shade in their mad dash towards safety.

Alfred hit piano keys as Jazz rushed them past, forcing the bookcase doorway open with her shoulder and stumbling into the flickering darkness beyond.

Teddy practically threw everyone into the rickety elevator, closing the door just as flames reached the threshold-

"DAWN!"

The Leafeon pulled up a Protect just as the elevator started to drop, guarding against the last gluts of flame that tried to roast all of them alive and the sudden stop at the bottom.

Adrenaline pounding in her ears, Jazz closed her eyes and _breathed_.

"What have I done?"

Looking up at Bruce's face, her gaze was drawn further to the flames overhead.

"Everything my family, my father, built…"

"The Wayne Legacy is more than bricks and mortar, sir." Alfred replied, and Jazz straightened as she spotted red on Bruce's white shirt, something the man himself seemed unaware of.

"I wanted to save Gotham…I failed."

Shade let out a low whine at that, collapsing into his side, as Dan and Kongju lowered their heads in shame.

Rising up onto her knees, Jazz grabbed his collar and forced the man to look at her, uncaring of her soot-covered face and scorched clothes.

"Why do we fall, Bruce?"

Brown eyes met green, caught in the grief and the pain and the _hope_ that shone back at him.

"So that we can learn to pick ourselves up."

"…You still haven't given up on me."

And she smiled, as if what he had said was obvious.

"Never."

 _At that moment, he realized it was_.


	9. Chapter 9

Humming a bouncy tune, Jazz skipped up the steps of the Gotham Police precinct, Dawn trailing in her wake.

The whole place was buzzing, officers openly exchanging ideas and going through files, and her smile widened.

"Hey, Stephens." She greeted, the green and white ruffles of her skirt swaying with each step. "Know where Jimmy is?"

"The lieutenant is up on the roof." The gruff old officer answered, glancing up with a hint of fond exasperation. "Like always."

"Thanks!"

Smacking a kiss on his cheek, the reddish-brunette continued on through the bullpen, Dawn holding back a giggle as she followed.

Jazz took the stairs two steps at a time, still humming, before bursting out onto the roof with a smile.

"Jimmy!"

The newly-promoted lieutenant gave her a rueful look, Growlithe snorting a laugh, half-hidden in the shadows of their newest rooftop addition.

The night sky spread overhead like faded velvet, Gotham too bright at night for any stars, and Jazz appreciated the view as she approached.

"Think he'll show?" James wondered, fiddling with the power switch.

She could not help but smile.

"Trust me, he'll come."


End file.
